Like Yoghurt and Strawberries
by Flamerist
Summary: Hinata finds herself lacking and so looks within herself and does some muchneeded asserting. Written for Kellye's birthday. Pure Fluff. Oneshot. Mild Shojo ai.


A/N: Well I wrote this story for my darling Kellyekins' birthday! I hope you like it, my love! This story actually has no content that would make it rated M. BUT! I morally oppose fics that aren't rated M and couldn't bear to write such a monstrosity! This fic is Shojo ai so you have been warned!

Rainy-dobe: Yeah and we all know why you only read Ms. Filthy pervert.

Me: Hey! There's nothing wrong with a healthy amount of perverted fangirly-ness. Especially not from teenage guys!

Shadowbanana: He's right you know. We all have pervertedness! --giggles in a high-pitched perverted kind of way--

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Never will. Unless Kishimoto's selling...?

_Italics are Hinata's thoughts_

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes to the sight of the Sakura tree outside her window, the beautiful petals elegantly fluttering in the unseen zephyrs swirling about the world. She envied those flowers with all her heart. They were beautiful and never passed unnoticed or unseen as she did.

_I wonder if anyone will remember what today is..._

Hinata sighed and rose from her bed to dress. She stared at her clothes. They were always the same; she either wore light tones to pass unseen or dark colours to blend in. But today...today she wanted to be noticed by someone. She wanted vibrancy to come into her life, to no longer be the bland quiet girl. Regardless, she dressed in her same-old clothes with her same-old hair and her same-old attitude.

Neji passed her as she made her way to breakfast. She noticed that he smiled at her. Perhaps he would remember...?

"Good morning, Hinata-sama," he stated formally with a slight inclination of his head. Hinata sighed. No, why would Neji, of all people remember? He above all of the Hyuuga clan would want to forget what today meant.

"H-hello, N-neji-niisan," Hinata replied with her usual stutter. She continued past her cousin and walked into the dining room where her father was eating a bowel of fruit. She bowed as she walked in. "Good morning, father."

"Morning, Hinata," he responded without glancing up from the report he was reading. Hinata was used to such treatment but still, she had hoped that today at least...But no, her father was not known for his compassion. As soon as Hinata had sat down, a bowl of pears and oatmeal was placed in front of her. She stared at it for a few moments. It was the same dull breakfast she had eaten for years. Always the perfect tear-shaped pear eighths, always the same discoloured oat mixture. Hinata stared at the food in front of her and wondered why. Why did she always eat food that she disliked? Why was it always the same? So she turned to one of the attending servants and did something she had never even considered doing before.

"Could I please have some strawberries and yoghurt today?" She asked, her tone curious, almost as if she was unsure she _could_ have a different breakfast. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. Not only had Hinata just made a decision for herself, but she had just said an entire sentence without stuttering once. The attending maid turned to Hiashi for guidance in the matter. He nodded the affirmative.

"Yes, today is an important day," Hiashi said and Hinata's head snapped up hopefully. Perhaps he had remembered! "Neji ascends to the rank of Jounin today after all." Hinata's head fell back down, disappointed. Of course. How could she have forgotten about the ceremony she had to attend today? The strawberries arrived and Hinata began to eat, smiling at the beautiful pink colour the yoghurt turned when exposed to the juice of the luscious red fruit.

_Like the colour of Sakura blossoms..._

After Hinata had finished her breakfast, she excused herself to go meet up with her team-mates, vowing to return before the midday ceremony. As Hinata approached the tree where she, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino always met, she saw Yamanaka Ino walking towards her. The blonde girl waved when she saw Hinata approaching and Hinata tentatively waved back.

"Heya, Hinata!" Ino exclaimed when the two girls drew level. "You must be excited today!" Hinata stared at the blonde. Was it possible that remembrance would come from this unlikely source...? "What with Neji becoming a Jounin and all!" Hinata mentally slumped as she was again disappointed.

_I would have thought I'd be used to it by now..._

"Anyway, I better get going now! See ya!" Ino said as she dashed away. Hinata sighed and wondered if the girl had even noticed Hinata hadn't said a word during their whole 'conversation.' Hinata sighed once again, it seemed like she would be sighing a lot today, and continued on her journey to the tree. When she arrived she was not surprised to see Shino leaning broodingly against the trunk and Kiba nowhere to be found.

"H-hello, Shino," Hinata greeted the boy softly. Even though he was on her team and one of her friends, he always made her slightly nervous.

"Hinata," Shino replied simply and an awkward silence descended upon the two until Kiba and Akamaru came running towards them, somehow making an incredible amount of noise, just by being there it seemed.

"Ossu! Shino, Hinata!" Kiba shouted as he neared the two while Akamaru barked in concurrence.

"G-good morning, Kiba-kun, good m-morning, Akamaru," Hinata replied with her habitual stutter.

"Kiba," Shino stated and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't the only one Shino was cold to. Kiba turned to Hinata.

"So, Hinata," He said slowly. Hinata stared at him expectantly. Maybe Kiba, sweet, sweet Kiba would remember...? "I'm so jealous of your cousin! How come he made Jounin already?!" Hinata sighed. No, why would Kiba, idiotic, moronic, imbecilic Kiba remember? Hinata stopped listening to Kiba's bout of idiotic complaints at that point. She seemed to be becoming more spiteful as the day wore on and she suddenly realised that she didn't want to be around people today. She glanced up at the sun and placed the time around ten o'clock, which meant she had an hour-and-a-half until she needed to be back. Meaning that she was expected to be with her team for at least another hour. Oh joy. But, she supposed it was better than spending that time around fawning servants and proud uncles. Hinata sighed once more before tuning back into Kiba's ranting which had now somehow turned into anger about Gaara becoming Kazekage. He was such a child sometimes. Unfortunately for him, it was only endearing for so long before it just became irritating.

_And I thought _he_ would remember?_

At quarter past eleven, Hinata found herself trudging back home, out of the frying pan and into the fire. She felt herself enveloped in a cloud of gloom, doomed to a life of perpetual misfortune, which she wouldn't even be acknowledged for. She felt like her breakfast of pears and oatmeal; cast aside in favour of more desirable things and suddenly felt an acute stab of sympathy for that poor bowl of vegetative slop. Perhaps it hadn't been thrown out and she could apologise...?

_Great. Now I feel bad for not wanting to eat food and am thinking of saying sorry to it. Well, at least things can't get any worse..._

As is always the case when one thinks that they have reached the end of all possible misfortune; Hinata was wrong. As she quickly realised upon entering her home. Servants scurried every which way carrying armfuls of ribbons and streamers, groups of balloons and stacks of paper kites. Hinata stared around in bewilderment before seeing the leader of the insanity; Tenten. The girl spotted Hinata standing awkwardly by the door and ran over and hugged her.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she asked Hinata, motioning with a sweep of one arm to the pandemonium that was once the Hyuuga's main building. Hinata just stared around with a look of uncertainty. Surely Tenten wouldn't have gone to all this trouble because of..."Neji will be so surprised when he sees we've thrown him a congratulation party!" Tenten exclaimed, crushing Hinata's hopes for the fifth time that day. Tenten marched off to shout at some poor individual and Hinata glared spitefully after the girl.

_The phrase is congratulatory party you ignorant cow!_

Hinata was snapped out of her unflattering thoughts about Tenten by said ignorant cow motioning her over to her.

"Hinata, you don't mind overseeing the kitchen do you?" She asked as Hinata reluctantly came within earshot of the other girl. Before she had a chance to respond Tenten had turned to yell at people putting up streamers. Hinata just stood there staring for a full five minutes until Tenten turned back to her. "Goodness, Hinata! Are you still here? I thought you were overseeing the kitchen! There's a good girl." Feeling much like a horse asked to pull a cart by...well by Tenten, Hinata walked into the kitchen just in time to see one of the staff about to throw out a bowl of pears and oatmeal.

"No!" Hinata shouted and snatched the plate away from the startled boy who shrugged and went back to whatever he was previously doing. Hinata took her plate of rock-solid oatmeal and soggy pears out the back door and sat under the Sakura tree there. She stared into the slightly crusty bowl of stale food and felt suddenly empty. Was this her future? Would she one day turn crusty and entirely useless, to be thrown out thoughtlessly? Or would she just sit in a corner somewhere to rot and degenerate into nothingness, alone in a world of invisibility, being blocked by the bigger, more important bowls of food? Wait, what was she thinking? She wouldn't just be blocked out, she'd be crushed. Well, no more! On this bowl of food that resembled nothing more than the dried excrement of a sparrow, Hinata swore to be a stronger person! She would be pushed around and walked all over no more!

"Hinata! What are you doing out there? You need to get dressed! YOU"VE ONLY GOT HALF-AN-HOUR UNTIL THE CEREMONY!!!!!" Tenten's screeching voice reached and Hinata sighed in exasperation. What was wrong with_speaking_ English, as opposed to _shouting_ it? Hinata stood up and left the bowl of crud on the kitchen counter before walking up to her room to put on her pale lilac Kimono. She stared at the garment, once again noticing how plain all her clothes were. She glanced around helplessly for a way to make her Kimono more interesting but found none. She sighed for the umpteenth time that day and dressed in the Kimono. Suddenly a thought struck her; why not wear her mother's sash?

Hinata sneakily snuck into her father's private quarters and collected a marble box and opened it to reveal her mother's sash folded neatly inside. Hinata gingerly pulled out the beautiful deep purple cloth and tied it round her waist in a bow. Suddenly her outfit looked much more vibrant and alive. She carefully collected her mother's fan from the box also before making her way down to the main hall. There stood Neji, her father and Hanabi, all looking immaculate while Tenten danced in front of them clutching a camera. When Hiashi caught sight of Hinata his eyes widened in surprise which quickly turned to anger.

"What makes you think you can wear those?" He demanded of her. Hinata remembered her new resolve and stared at her father with all the decorum she could muster.

"Am I not the Hyuuga heir?" she responded evenly. "And did mother not leave these for me? I am merely claiming my birthright," Hinata stated loftily. Hiashi looked like he was about to send her to go take the sash and fan back but Neji coughed behind him.

"I think you look lovely, Hinata," he said with a small smile. "You're as radiant as your name." (1) Hinata blushed slightly and nodded her head. That had to be the first actual compliment Hinata had ever received, and from Neji of all people! Hinata sat patiently throughout the ceremony, elegantly fanning herself when the air became too still. Her thoughts returned to her cousin. Perhaps he _had_ remembered what today was, and this was his way of acknowledging it. Well, it certainly seemed the sort of thing Neji would do, it was unlikely that he didn't know what today was; he was a very shrewd person. More than likely he thought that one compliment was enough for anyone. Well, Hinata was grateful for the gesture, small as it was.

She once again found herself wanting nothing more than to be alone. So after the ceremony she went back home with her family only to realise that she had to attend the party and luncheon that came with it. She was placed next to Hanabi and across from Neji, her father at the head of the table and Tenten chattering away next to Neji. After the food was consumed or taken away, what seemed to be the rest of Konoha gathered to dance and get drunk. Hinata was forced to stay with Hanabi to see that her sister didn't try to drink any sake and so the night dragged on. At eight o'clock, Hinata escaped as Hanabi went reluctantly to bed and finally Hinata went outside to sit on the little rosewood dock beneath the Sakura trees.

Hinata sighed for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day and reviewed her thoughts. Today had been like any other, except for the breakfast and her standing up to her father. But were those small differences any indication of her own personal change? Was she developing and improving as a good shinobi should, or was she still the same old Hinata from two-and-a-half years ago; afraid of her own shadow and inhibited by that crippling fear? How on earth was she supposed to tell the difference?

_Is life this confusing for everyone, or do I over-think things? Should I stop thinking and just react...?_

Hinata felt someone pull her hair back and twist it up before clipping it together with something. Before she could turn around to see who it was, Haruno Sakura sat next to her and tucked a Sakura flower behind her right ear before kissing her cheek lightly. "W-what was that for?" Hinata asked, wide-eyed and full of surprise.

"Because it's your birthday and you looked really down. No one should be sad on their birthday," Sakura replied with a wide smile before adding, almost tentatively: "Especially not someone as beautiful as you, Hinata." Hinata stared, open-mouthed at the pink-haired girl before her. Then Sakura leaned forward and gently pressed their lips together. In that one kiss, Hinata's mind exploded with a hundred feelings, overwhelming her, but, at the same time releasing all the tension that had built up within her over the years. All her indignation at being cast aside as a useless heiress, all her admiration for Naruto and Sakura, all her sorrow at being ignored all burst forth from the depths of her soul and when the girls finally broke apart, Hinata couldn't help but cry. She cried and cried, pulling Sakura into a tight hug, trying to express all the gratitude she felt in that one embrace.

"Thank you!" Hinata whispered into Sakura's ear, pulling back from the other girl. As she did, her senses came back with her and she felt a moment of horror at what she had just done before remembering her idea about not thinking, just reacting. So that's what she did. Hinata leaned in and kissed Sakura once more, holding the girl's face with one hand and stroking her hair with the other. "I thought everyone had forgotten..." Hinata whispered softly after Sakura had coaxed her into lying on the dock next to her, underneath the Sakura trees, while the moon shone bright and full. Sakura kissed the brunette's forehead softly.

"Never!" She reassured the shy girl. And as the two gazed at the stars, holding one another beneath the Sakura trees, Hinata stared at Sakura's unique hair. It's vibrancy and life contrasting perfectly with the snow-white of her fingers.

_Like yoghurt and strawberries..._

* * *

(1) The Kana, Hi, at the beginning of Hinata's name means sun.

A/N: So! That was for you Kellyemonster! And please don't anyone tell me the ending's too sudden because teenagers do impulsive things like that, I know from personal experience.

Rainy-dobe: I bet you do. coughFlingKingcough

Me: Aw! Look at you, making up crap for me!

Shadowbanana: w00t! It would've been better with a yaoi lemon...

Me: Yes, but we can't have everything, Kellye wanted shojo ai for her birthday and shojo ai she gets! Lovely! Please review, all of you! Or my confidence will be shattered and I'll never write shojo ai again. I actually quite like how this turned out...


End file.
